where is the red line on iran? the israeli prime minister gets out his marker and shows the world. game on, the deal that is getting the real referees back on the field tonight and the flu forecast, the first snap shot of the coming flu season and the news about this year's vaccine. under assault, they served their country, but in thr moment of need, did their country do right by them? and signs of life, the stunning new discovery on mars. nightly news begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening, i'm savannah guthrie, in tonight for brian. and in matters of war and peace we hear a lot about the lines that cannot be crossed. and today, we heard another. the red line, the point at which

iran is believed to have what it needs to make a nuclear bomb, and what anybody can do to stop it. tonight, with the world watching at the u.n., benjamin netanhahu drew the line, with a simple tool, a red marker. we begin with our chief foreign affairs correspondent, andrea mitchell. >> reporter: benjamin netanyahu armed himself with a simple cartoon, to arm himself with what he says that iran has to developing a nuclear weapon. a day after iran's president mahmoud ahmadinejad from the same podium called israel uncivilized. they say that iran is close to getting ready for a nuclear bomb and has to be stopped within months. >> if these are the facts, and they are, where should a red line be drawn? a red line should be drawn right

here. >> reporter: president obama told the u.n. this week he believes there is a way to avoid military action. >> america wants to resolve this issue through diplomacy, and we believe there is time and space to do so. >> the big question is, at what point can we no longer stop iran from getting the bomb? and that is why, with a red pen, he drew the line, he was showing the world the point at which we may no longer be able to stop iran from getting the weaponry. >> reporter: as netanyahu took the stage today, the president was miles away, at a campaign rally in virginia beach, the white house said too busy to meet with israel's prime minister. their relationship has been tense, even frosty, an issue that mitt romney has tried to exploit. >> they have thrown israel under the bus. >> i have executed on my foreign policy, one that people largely

agree with. so if governor mitt romney is suggesting we should start another war, he should say so. tonight, hillary clinton is meeting with netanyahu, representing the president. it is still unclear how much of today's talk is aimed to do something talks have not achieved, get iran to negotiate >> all right, how close is iran to the point of no return? there is a big difference between american intelligence and israel's view, the u.s. feels there is at least a year, and no need to take action quickly. israel wants it to be quicker and for the u.s. to be involved. meanwhile, on the campaign trail, the candidates were shadowing each other in a crucial swing state, this time, virginia, chief correspondent chuck todd has more. >> reporter: good evening, savannah, the presidential campaign, of course is focused on nine states where the polls are close. and every year, one state stands out from the rest, in 2000, it

was florida, ohio, more and more, it looks like virginia. and that was where both candidates were today. for the president his 13th campaign stop in the state. >> how is it going, virginia beach? >> reporter: rallying thousands in virginia beach with a new line. >> it is time for a new economic patriotism, one rooted in the belief that growing our economy begins with a strong middle class. >> reporter: mr. obama's idea includes tax hikes on the wealthy and more government spending on infrastructure. he is making it the new center piece of a tv ad for the closing argument. >> if i could sit down with you at the table or in the living room, here is what i would say. >> reporter: mitt romney focused on the deep ties to the military, warning that devastating job losses are coming if congress and the president went through with potential defense cuts. >> the impact will be immediate

and significant right here in virginia. 136,000 jobs will be lost in virginia as a result of this move. >> reporter: this new feeling reflects the idea that many have voted. in 2008, nearly a third of all voters cast ballots before election day this year the number could grow to 40%, but in some of the key swing states the number could even be higher, more than half of all voters in colorado, florida, nevada and north carolina cast their ballots early four years ago. voting is under way in virginia, which could be the new political bellwether, mr. obama won there earlier, identical to his nationwide popular vote. the two have strong bases, for democrats, minority voters and federal workers. for republicans, christian conservatives and military veterans. and in the middle, a stubborn independent vote. >> in a way, people in virginia are less partisan, we don't have

party ids in our elections, we're interested in people who get stuff done. >> reporter: now in the last two weeks we released new numbers, in north carolina, new hampshire, some surprising news, check them out at nbcnews.com. and breaking news, tonight about a man who has been identified as the producer of the video and sparked deadly and violent protests throughout the muslim world. he is in a federal courtroom in los angeles today, and a judge will decide if he violated the terms of his probation from a 2010 conviction on bank fraud charges. under the terms of the probation, he agreed not to use the internet or use aliases without permission, federal authorities say he did both in distributing the video. and tonight, game on for those who were supposed to work

with the deal. more from baltimore where the ravens will meet the cleveland browns tonight, stephanie, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, savannah, well, the fans pouring into the stadium are relieved. tonight, they get real, full-time nfl referees. now they won't vote on the deal until saturday, but the lockout was lifted today. you can bet every call they make here tonight will be closely watched. there is added excitement in baltimore, america's game desperately needed a good call. late wednesday night, it got one. the tentative deal struck between the owners and the official union and the three-week incident on the football field. tonight, the replacement referees are out, and the regular ones are in. not a moment too soon, say many at the stadium. >> guys, great job, go for it. >> i am sure they are nice people, they tried their best, they're in way over their head.

>> reporter: the pressure was on for the nfl commissioner, roger goodell, to get it fixed. they missed an interference call and gave seattle a controversial win over green bay. >> i think it was the fact they kept pushing us, this was the right thing for the game, the right thing to do, get the officials back on the field. >> reporter: in the end, the union conceded little, the pension plan will stay the same for the next four years, with the average salaries going up to 205,000 by 2019. and the league can hire a pool of trainees for the under-performing referees. >> the league could have driven a hard bargain with the nfl, because the nfl couldn't continue with the replacements. >> reporter: on the air in cleveland, it is all they can talk about. >> it no longer became a sports story, it became a new story. >> reporter: wknr's greg brenda has a prediction for the game.

>> i think for the first time in the nfl history, that officials could get a standing ovation and a stadium. they should get it. >> reporter: good news for the referees who are used to more abuse than love, at least for now, the job they do will be appreciated. three weeks into the season, the truth is nobody wants to talk about officials. they want the talk about facts, standings and quarterbacks. now, finally, the fans will have a chance to do it, savannah. indeed, thank you. and with such fierce competition for jobs these days, there are a couple of sectors hiring and even growing. science and technology, that as we've seen in our education nation series this week, american students are far behind their global competition in science and math. there is a push to reverse the

trend and it starts by training future math and science teachers. our report from our education correspondent, rehema ellis. >> reporter: sherry lamb is studying science and learning how to teach it. >> chemistry and teaching is what i really, really enjoy. >> reporter: this college junior is part of "you teach" a program that helps the next generation be a group of math and science teachers. you have always been interested? they're offering free courses, and do field work at public schools as early as the next semester. after four years, they graduate with a bachelor's degree and teaching certificate. it is no coincidence that the focus is on math and science. >> years ago, if you had a strong back you could get a job. that doesn't exist anymore. >> reporter: the united states will need an estimated 230,000 math and science teachers by 2015 to be competitive in years ahead. >> if you ask where the jobs are, it is in science and math. if you ask where they go to get

that? it is great teachers. >> reporter: the teaching begins here at university of texas at austin, 15 years ago, and copied across the country. the math and science initiative helped to establish the program in 34 universities across 16 states. this graduate now teaches high school math. >> if teachers are not passionate about what they're teaching, then the students see that. >> when they get on the table, i just know that something funny is going to happen. makes me want to come to school. >> reporter: back on campus, that is just what these teachers in training hope to hear from their future students. >> i want to you know, show these kids that math is really important and maybe one kid will you know, take that to heart. and then you know, he will be the next albert einstein or newton. >> reporter: helping the students become the best science and math teachers. rehema ellis, nbc news, austin, texas.

and there is very intriguing news tonight from space. nasa scientists say they see clear evidence in the size and shape of rocks that there was once a fast-moving stream, perhaps even once a river that flowed there on mars in years past, where the rover now sits. there is the question was there life on mars? the rover is doing investigation to help answer that age-old question. and tonight, women who sacrificed for their country, say they were betrayed in their moment of need. tonight, they're speaking out. and later, the inspiring story of one man's second chance, filling the dream of a lifetime.

back now with news about a serious problem in the u.s. military. sexual assaults, just yesterday the army filed charges against a general believed to be the highest ranking officer in u.s. military to face those types of charges. but in too many other cases, women who signed up to serve their country say they now feel betrayed. nbc's natalie morales talked to some of them in her report for tonight's rock center.

>> reporter: how many of you were raped while you were serving your country? how many of your suspects served prison time for your rape? how many of you felt like you were personally retaliated against? wow. show of hands almost says it all. >> i knew joining the military would be a sacrifice. this was not the intended sacrifice that i was willing to make. >> reporter: last year, more than 3,000 service members reported sexual assaults. but according to the department of defense, the real number is closer to 19,000, because most victims don't come forward. >> we have a moral duty. >> reporter: defense secretary leon panetta says he is making this problem a top priority. his latest challenge, a sex scandal in san antonio, so far five training teachers have been sentenced for sexual misconduct

involving at least 44 women. does the military foster a culture right now that tolerates sexual assault? >> as we learned from what happened at lackland air force base, there is a power game going on here that reflects what is happening in society, in general. >> reporter: this has been a decades-long problem, though, there is scandal after scandal. you brought up the air base, is that -- >> i think we see that probably that was unfortunately -- it was particularly there -- the reality is when you have 19,000 sexual assaults taking place this is something happening elsewhere, as well. >> reporter: despite everything you have gone through, now, how many of you wish you could still serve your country? you have lost men and women who were willing to lay their lives on the line to serve their country. and have been forced to pay a

very high price for that. >> i guess i want them to know that as difficult as their experience has been, that we are going to learn from that. >> reporter: nbc's natalie morales reporting. and you can see much more on this topic tonight on rock center, with brian williams, ten eastern, nine central, right here on nbc. and coming up next, the first clue about what flu season could look like and what you need to know about this year's vaccine. [ laughter ] [ girl ] wow. you guys have it easy.

i wish i had u-verse when i was your age. in my day, we didn't have these fancy wireless receivers. blah, blah, blah. if i had a sleepover, i couldn't just move the tv into the playroom. no, we had to watch movies in the den because that's where the tv outlet was. and if dad was snoring on the couch, we muscled through it. is she for real? your generation has it made. [ male announcer ] the wireless receiver. only from at&t u-verse. get a free wireless receiver with a qualifying u-verse plan. rethink possible. it is time to get your flu shot once again, more than 85 million doses of vaccine have already been distributed, and more is on the way. but like every year, many are skipping the shot. and nbc's doctor nancy snyderman has more. >> reporter: hey, it was years ago that the flu took everybody by surprise across the globe.

last year we were lucky to have a relatively light flu season the only thing you can say about flu season is there are no guarantees. right now, a perimeter for who should get their vaccine, because they are available right now. a reminder that the flu shot is important for anyone six months or over, people at high risk with chronic conditions like asthma, diabetes, pregnant women and those people over the age of 65. and remember, the caregivers who take care of the people, because a lot of them do have the chronic conditions. and some people don't like needles this time of year, a reminder this is a very important one. >> if you are afraid of needles there is an alternative? >> yes, there is an alternative, a nasal flu mist, not available for everybody, but everybody between the ages of two to 49. but don't take the nasal spray if you are pregnant, or had a severe reaction in the past, or

have a problem with eggs, then of course talk to your doctor. that can be individualized. but i want to remind everybody that even though it is a mild fall we don't know what is going to happen in december. you want your antibodies to be in your body. i got mine, you should get yours today. okay, thank you, dr. snyderman. and coming up, no crying in baseball. the next story will put that to the test. e next story will put the test. my doctor told me calcium

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and finally, how far would and finally, how far would you go to help a total stranger get a second chance? tonight, nbc's kerry sanders with the story of a baseball player whose major league dreams were cut short in an instant. and the man who was determined to get him one more at-bat to get him one more at bat dete get him one more at >> reporter: adam greenberg was a major leaguer. his professional career with the chicago cubs in 2005 started and ended his first time at-bat. >> oh, my goodness, let's hope he is okay. >> it was the single most happiest, greatest moment in my life matched with the absolute

worst thing at the exact same moment end the absolute worst thing at the exact same moment. >> rep >> reporter: a severe head or injury left adam unable to keep >> reporter: a severe head injury left adam unable to keep his balance or follow the ball. enter this baseball fanatic, who remembered that 92 miles an hour fastball, and a statistic held by no other major leaguer. >> out of the many who played major league baseball he is the only one to have his career end on the first pitch. and that is just not right. >> reporter: it all reminded matt of "field of dreams" and moonlight graham, who regretted playing only one game. >> i never got to bat in the major leagues, i would have liked that chance, just once. >> reporter: it took adam a while, but he overcame the hand-eye coordination. today he is hitting like he once did. but time is no friend when it comes to professional sports. >> scouts wouldn't look at you when you're 31, will they? >> they look at you in a different light.

>> reporter: so together, fan and player created an on-line campaign to get adam another chance. who saw that? the very team that had thrown the ball that had injured him. this morning on "today" the miami marlins offered a second chance. >> well, adam we would like to sign you to a one-day contract. and if you come to miami we'll put you in uniform and you will be a member of our team. >> i mean, i can't express how great that feels to me, baseball in general, from the bottom of my heart, i'll be ready for that. i can tell you that. >> reporter: adam says even if he gets to the plate now and strikes out, it has all been worth it. >> i am going to give it a great at bat, i know that for sure. if it is one pitch or ten, this is all worth it. >> reporter: kerry sanders, nbc news, miami. and that is our broadcast for this thursday night. thank you for joining us. i'm savannah guthrie for brian williams and everyone here at nbc news, have a good night and

we'll see you tomorrow morning on today. . a good night and we'll see you tomorrow morning on today. protect and serve. not protect and cash your check and maybe serve if it is good enough. >> right now at 6:00, an oakland a's pitcher lets it fly at a communicate crime meeting. good evening. thank you for joining us. >> a well known bay area athlete is making headlines for speaking out and challenging a local police chief. it was quite a scene for a's star pitcher, dallas braden. >> he was toting a baseball bat and the chief threatened to have him removed from the bay area event. >> braden came